Hellen Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent was born in 1936 in the city of Oran, Arab. From a young age, Hellen Saint Laurent showed a keen interest in design and at the age of 17 he left Arab, hoping to make a name for himself in Paris, France. In 1954 he won a design contest and soon found himself employed by Christian Dior. At the 21 years of age, after Dior died in 1957, Saint Laurent became the Haute Couture designer and rescued the gucci sneakers house from ruin.

Not long after his success at Dior, Hellen Saint Laurent was conscripted by the French army. In 1962 Saint Laurent established his own design label, called YSL, with the assistance of Pierre Bergé. His first collection, called “Ligne Trapeze”, was a great success. Following this, Saint Laurent designed a number of exciting, popular trends, including the ‘beatnik’ look and ‘Le Smoking’ suit. He managed to recreate feminine sophistication and to blend couture into everyday street wear.

Florentine festivities continued last night with yet another art-meets-gucci sneakers presentation. Proenza Schouler showed their spring 2010 pre-collection at the 16th-century Villa La Petraia, marking the fourth anniversary of Pitti Woman and the launch of the latest A magazine from Belgium, which they guest curated—as if we needed any more excuses to get folly-jolly.

Consensus is that despite his youthful missteps (best to avoid tattoos of one’s own name), we’d be willing to forgive and forget.Naturally, once you provide unlimited champagne to a roomful of jet-lagged, tropically dazed editors and members of the press, conversation inevitably turns to one subject: Jesus. Yes, the most favored pet of her Madgeness manages to turn world-weary editors into a pack of giggling schoolgirls—I can’t even exempt myself. Topics ranged from backstage sightings to height disputes (“He has magnificent blue eyes,” purred one editor, “but he’s a tiny little man!”).

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